Carousel.



P. RYAN.

CAROUSBL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY6,1914.

WITNESSES THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINLIIUN. D. \:Y

Patented Aug. 11, 1914;

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS P. RYAN.

CAROUSEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1914.

1,10'7,1 15. Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I HW EWTOR f'fllr'zbfi Kym ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PETERS co.. PHDTOLITHOH WASHINGIUN. D. C.

P. RYAN.

GAROUSEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6,1914. 1,1 07, 1 1 5. Patented Aug. 11, 1911 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A TTOR/VEYS TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK RYAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO JAMES H. IVIoGANN, ONE-FOURTH TO SAMUEL BRAND, AND ONE-FOURTH TO THOMAS F.

DUFFY, ALL OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAROUSEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed May 6, 1914. Serial No. 836,649.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK RYAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Carousel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to merry-go-rounds or carousels in which horses or other seats are caused to have traveling movement through a given path, and the invention relates particularly to an apparatus of the indicated character having means for mounting the seats and their propelling means on a traveling vehicle, preferably motor-driven, whereby the carousel may be transported from place to place, and be ready for immediate operation.

The invention includes also a novel means for supporting the horses or other seats, novel actuating means therefor, together with various novel features involving the adjustment of the endless drive chain for the seats, the supporting and bracing of the seats, and the supporting 0f the track and roof forming part of the structure, as well as other features which will appear hereinafter, whereby to adapt the carousel to the vehicular form of the apparatus and insure the necessary strength and lightness, with provision for facility of adjustment and control.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in. all the views.

Figure l is a longitudinal Vertical section of a carousel constituting one practical embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view, the section being taken directly above the platform; Fig. 3 is a cross section taken adjacent to the front sprocket wheel of the seat-actuating means and looking forwardly; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail plan view given to show the means for permitting adjustment of the front sprocket wheel in tightening or loosening the chain of the seat actuating means; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail plan view given to show the adjustable support of the track and roof to conform to the adjustment provided by the devices of Fig.

4 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan View of a suspended coupling and bracing means for the horses; and Fig. 7 is a detail end view of one of the traveling hangers for the horses, a portion of the track on which the hangers travel being included.

In constructing the illustrated en1bodiment of the invention, a vehicle body is provided, consisting preferably of longitudinal side bars 10, here shown as U-beams, similar intermediate longitudinal bars 11, a front cross bar 12, and a rear cross bar 13. Front running wheels 14 are provided, and rear running wheels 15. It is to be understood that the running gear may be of any approved construction common to motordriven vehicles, there being shown hanger brackets 16, 17, pertaining to the front and rear axles, and more or less conventionally illustrated. The rear wheels are driven by any approved drive means, there being here shown a longitudinal shaft 18. The front axle 19 will, in practice, be provided with the usual steering appurtenances.

An internal combustion engine or other motor 20 is provided, and a belt 21 is shown running over a pulley 22 on the propelling shaft 18 and over a pulley 23 on the engine shaft.

In order to actuate the horses or other seats hereinafter referred to, a drive shaft 24 is provided, in connection with which is a clutch 25 to be shifted by a clutch yoke 26 controlled by a shift lever 26, said lever serving also to shift a clutch 27 to throw the pulleys 23 into or out of action. The arrangement is such that the yoke 26 may be shifted to drive the shaft 18, or to throw out said shaft 18 and throw in the shaft 24 for actuating the latter and the horses.

I provide for actuating an organ or other musical instrument from the shaft 24, there being shown a pulley 28 on said shaft, and a belt 29 runs over said pulley and over a pulley 30 in a counter-shaft 31, which drives a belt 32 or other means as part of the actuating devices for a musical instrument 33.

The shaft 24 may be turned by a hand wheel 34 in the event the motor fails or is for other reasons out of action. The said shaft 24 is provided with a bevel pinion 35 meshing with a bevel wheel 36, integral with which is a sprocket wheel 37 A drive chain 38 runs over said sprocket Wheel 37, which track 51.

is located at the rear of the vehicle and over a forward sprocket wheel 37*. The rear sprocket wheel 37 runs on bearing rollers 39, the ball race of which is formed by the said sprocket wheel, and by a fixed ring 40 supported on transverse arched brackets 41 on the intermediate longitudinal bars 11. Similarly the front sprocket wheel 37 a is supported on transverse arched brackets 42 on the longitudinal bars 11.

The seats 43, preferably in the form of horses, are supported on depending spindles 44, which are adapted to travel in an oblong slot 45 in a platform 46 supported on the body of the vehicle. On each spindle 44, at the slot 45, is a loose sleeve 44 which will have rolling contact with the walls of the slot in any slight swinging or vibration of the said spindles. To support the platform 46 in the illustrated construction, posts 48 on the longitudinal bars 11 are braced by diagonal braces 48 and carry sills 47 on which the said platform 46 rests.

The spindles 44 are suspended from traveling hangers 49, provided with wheels or rollers 50 traveling on an endless oblong The inner sides of the hangers 49 have sockets 52, in each of which turns a ball 53 after the manner of a ball caster. The said balls bear against the outer face of the track 51.

In order to support the track 51, posts 54 are provided, the lower ends of which are secured to arched brackets 55 on the intermediate longitudinal bars 11. Each post extends through a flange bushing 56 in the platform 46. The lower ends of the spindles receive nuts 58 or equivalent elements to securely hold them on the brackets 55. The upper ends of the posts have lateral arms 57, to which the track 51 is suitably fastened.

In order to permit of the adjustment of the sprocket wheel 37 a relatively to the rear sprocket wheel for the tightening of the chain, or for the insertion or removal of a link, the front post 54 to which the said front sprocket wheel is secured, is made adjustable by mounting the front bracket slidably on the longitudinal bars 11, as seen best in Fig. 4, in which the feet or offset ends 59 of the said bracket has slots 60 receiving pins or bolts 61. To adjustably secure the upper end of the front post 54 to the track 51 to conform with the adjustment of the lower end, the arms 57 of said front post are connected with the track 51 by a slot and pin connection, there being slots 62 in the track, and pins or bolts 63 extending through the arms 57.

The roof 64 is supported from the lateral I arms57 by standards 65, the upper ends of which are suitably bolted as at 65 to the roof. The lower ends, are fastened to the said arms 57. The front standards 65 are secured by a slot and pin connection, the ofiset feet 66 of which have slots 67 receiving pins or bolts 68.

Any suitable form of guard may be pro vided around the platform 46, there being here shown a wire netting 69 secured to rails 70.

In order to prevent sagging of the rear part of each of the horses 43, or other seats on the depending spindles 54, braces are provided as follows: Depending rods 71 are suspended from hangers 72 similar to the hangers 49, being provided with wheels 73 which run on the track 51. The lower ends of said rods 71 are connected as at 7 4, with the longitudinal coupling and brace bars 75, the ends of which are connected as at 7 (5, to the horses 43, there being cross pieces 77 eX- tending between the legs of each horse, so that the coupling bar may be secured respectively between the front legs of one horse and between the rear legs of the horse in advance; also an additional brace 78 is provided in the form of a curved arm adjust ably secured to the spindle 4-4 by a set screw 79, the upper end of said arm being suitably fastened to the under side of the horse.

By the above described construction it will .be seen that the carousel may be propelled from point to point, and the propelling gear immediately thrown out and the actuating means for the horses thrown into gear. The arrangement of the horses and their actuating means, as well as the track and roof, with the supporting elements thereof, are all designed to promote lightness and compactness, and adapt the structure to the particular service for which it is intended.

The described construction affords practical means for carrying my invention intoeffect, and I would state in conclusion that I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since inanifestly the same can be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a carousel, a platform, front and rear posts supported at the lower ends be low the platform, the said platform having an endless slot and an overhead endless track supported on said posts, a series of traveling hangers on the said track, seats suspended by the hangers, and actuating means for the hangers, said actuating means comprising sprocket wheels on the said posts below the platform, means for driving one of the said sprockets, and a sprocket chain on said sprocket wheels, the sprocket chain having connection with the said suspended seats.

2. In a carousel, a platform having an endless slot, front and rear posts supported at their lower ends below the platform and extending upwardly above the platform, an endless track supported on said posts, a roof, means carried by the posts and supporting the roof, a series of hangers mounted to travel on the said track, depending spindles on said hangers, seats on the spindles, and means for actuating the spindles, said means comprising sprocket wheels on the posts below the platform, means for driving one of said sprocket wheels, and a sprocket chain on said wheels, said chain having connection with the said spindles.

3. In a carousel, a platform, a series of posts extending above and below the said platform, lateral arms on the posts at the upper ends, an overhead endless track on the said arms at the outer ends of the latter, uprights on the arms between the track and the posts, a roof supported by said uprights, a series of seats, means suspending said seats from the endless track, and means for actuating the suspension means.

i. In a carousel, a platform, front and rear posts extending above and below the platform, an endless track, means adjustably securing the track to the posts to permit adjustment of one post relatively to the other, a series of hangers mounted to travel on said track, spindles depending from said track, seats on said spindles, the platform having an endless slot through which said spindles enter below the platform, a sprocket chain extending around said sprocket wheel, and means for adjustably supporting the lower end of one of said posts and the sprocket wheel carried thereby.

5. In a carousel, a platform, front and rear posts extending above and below the platform, an endless track, means adjustably securing the track to the posts to permit adjustment of one post relatively to the other, a series of hangers mounted to travel on said track, spindles depending from said track, seats on said spindles, the platform having an endless slot through which said spindles enter below the platform, a sprocket chain extending around said sprocket wheel, and means for adjustably supporting the lower end of one of said posts and the sprocket wheel carried thereby, the endless slot at one end of the platform being of increased width.

6. In a carousel, an oblong platform having an endless oblong slot, front and rear sprocket wheels beneath the platform adjacent to the forward and rear portions of the oblong slot, a sprocket chain on said wheels, posts on which said sprocket wheels are mounted to turn, one of said posts being adjustable with its sprocket wheel relatively to the other post and sprocket wheel, a series of seats, and means supporting said seats and connected with said chain, to be actuated by the latter.

7. In a carousel, a platform, a longitudinally-ranging drive shaft below the platform, a motor, means for establishing driving connection between the motor and shaft, front and rear sprocket wheels below the platform, an endless chain on said sprocket wheels, a gear in fixed relation to one of said sprocket wheels, a pinion on said drive shaft in mesh with the said gear wheel, vertical spindles secured at their lower ends to the chain, the platform having an endless slot in which the said spindles have movement, seats on said spindles, an endless overhead track, and hangers on said track suspending said spindles.

8. In a carousel, a body presenting longitudinal bars, arched brackets on said bars, posts on the brackets, a platform through which the posts extend, sprocket wheels loose on the posts, a sprocket chain on said wheels, spindles carried by the chain and extending upwardly through the platform, said platform having an endless slot for the movement of the spindles, seats on the spindles, an overhead track supported by the posts above the platform, and hangers adapted to travel on said track, the spindles depending from the said hangers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PATRICK RYAN.

Witnesses:

J. L. MOAULIFFE, WILLIAM ELDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). 0. 

